A Conference on Uyghur crisis and professor Ilham Tohti
Uyghurs
-
Trump Signs Uyghur Rights Act Into Law, Authorizing Sanctions For Abuses in Xinjiang
Radio Free Asia 2020-06-17 U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 into law on Wednesday, authorizing the use of sanctions against Chinese officials deemed complicit in the persecution of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The bill, which passed nearly unanimously through both houses of Congress last month, highlights arbitrary incarceration, forced labor, and other abuses in the XUAR—home to internment camps holding as many as 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslims. In addition to condemning the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for the three-year-old internment camp program, the new law requires regular monitoring of the situation in the region by U.S. government bodies for the application of sanctions. It also addresses Chinese government harassment of Uyghurs living inside the United States. “The Act holds accountable perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses such as the systematic use of indoctrination camps, forced labor, and intrusive surveillance to eradicate the ethnic identity and religious beliefs of Uyghurs and other minorities in China,” Trump said in a statement released by the Office of the White House Press Secretary after the signing. Trump notes in the statement that the act “purports to limit my discretion to terminate inadmissibility sanctions,” which he said could be inconsistent with his constitutional authorities to receive foreign officials as diplomatic representatives, and therefore would consider the relevant section “advisory and non-binding.” He said that his administration would make efforts to notify relevant congressional committees before removing inadmissibility sanctions against any officials targeted by the new law. The signing comes amid tense relations between the U.S. and China, with the Trump administration taking multiple jabs at Beijing in recent months for its lack of transparency in handling the coronavirus pandemic, trade policy, and expansive territorial claims. The president has also said he would take […]
-
USCIRF Welcomes Appointment by Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Nury Turkel to U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
USCIRF FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 26, 2020 USCIRF Welcomes Appointment by Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Nury Turkel to U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Washington, DC – Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced the appointment of Nury Turkel, a lawyer and Uyghur rights advocate, to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). “USCIRF welcomes the appointment of Nury Turkel to the Commission,” said USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins. “Mr. Turkel brings significant experience as a lawyer and human rights advocate making him a great asset to the Commission’s work. He will especially bring insight and knowledge to the plight of Uyghur Muslims in China and elsewhere.” Turkel was born in a re-education camp at the height of the Cultural Revolution and spent the first several months of his life in captivity with his mother. He came to the United States in 1995 as a student and was granted asylum in 1997. He is the first U.S.-educated Uyghur lawyer. Turkel holds a Master of Arts in International Relations and a Juris Doctorate from the American University in Washington, DC. In addition to his professional career, he has devoted his time and energy to defending the rights of Uyghurs in China and promoting international human rights for all. Turkel is currently a Washington, D.C.-based attorney and Chairman of the Board for the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), which he co-founded in 2003. He also served as the president of the Uyghur American Association, where he led efforts to raise the profile of the Uyghur people in the United States, including organizing and leading the campaign to obtain the release of a Uyghur prisoner of conscience, Ms. Rebiya Kadeer, in March 2005. He has testified before Congress, speaking about Uyghur camps and advocating a legislative response to China’s atrocities. Many of his recommendations have […]